Back in colonial times, when good quality local fabrics were hard to come by, the warmth provided by handcrafted quilted blankets made from repurposed scraps of material became something of a necessity for early American settlers. And, to judge by the comforting appeal of the puffy, stitched jackets or sweaters at Christopher Kane, Burberry Prorsum, and Stella McCartney (among others) we saw for pre-fall, it’s coming back into the spotlight again on several fronts. For a taste of padded patchworks now, check out the Brooklyn Museum’s newly opened “Workt by Hand: Hidden Labor and Historical Quilts” exhibition, a celebration of two centuries of the craft and its impact on feminism. Quilts featuring iconic designs like Log Cabin, Garden Basket, and Barn Raising will be on display.

On a smaller scale, Kelsy Parkhouse, the 27-year-old Brooklyn-based designer behind Carleen, has been experimenting with quilting by way of reworked feed sacks (which once held livestock grain and household flour) stitched in diamond sequences across antique-feel circle skirts, crop tops, and jackets with satisfyingly deep pockets. Then there’s Folk Fibers designer Maura Grace Ambrose, a 30-year-old Texan, who has set up shop to craft graphic but romantic hand-stitched pillows and blankets, incorporating naturally dyed cloth with new and vintage fabrics. “Quilts are one of the most useful and beautiful objects of our culture,” she says of their continued appeal. “And old-fashioned values and practical wisdom never go out of style.”